


I See Fire

by orphan_account



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Nightmares, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-07 23:50:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5475119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>City Life!AU for Bilbo and Thorin</p>
            </blockquote>





	I See Fire

The smell of smoke wakes you. It is seeping into your room through the doors, cracks in the improperly sealed windows, and vents. The smoke swirls its way around everything, making your room it's home and marking its territory with its stench. You collect your all your valuables, jamming it into your largest backpack, and race out of your apartment. It fills the hallway making it nearly impossible to see. People are scrambling down the stairs, pushing and shouting. Their tear streaked faces all blend together turning the crowd into a sea of indistinguishable people. The children sleepy and bewildered, the adults frantic and shaking. The flight of stairs never seems to end and the blaring of the fire alarms seem to get louder. Your exit glows bright like the light at the end of a pitch black tunnel, illuminating the final steps. As you walk through the fluorescent street lights momentarily blind you leaving your ears to try and process the wailing of sirens combined with screaming families.

 

You breath in deeply, never so happy to breath in the smell of exhaust from the diesel cars that pass by slowly to watch your homes burn. The clouds of smoke pour out of your apartment building, originating from the floor right above yours. You hear people shrieking in terror and helplessly pointing at the upper floors. Your heart drops like an anvil. On the fourth floor Bilbo and Thorin are latching on to their bay window. Their matching squirrel and nut patterned pajamas in varying stages of disarray flap in the wind, embers of fire lick the flannel fabric.

 

Everyone lets out a tiny sigh of relief as fire department sirens are heard of in the distance. People cheer as the giant fire engine rolls toward the apartment complex. But that relief is short lived. Instead of stopping, the fire truck speeds off, leaving your complex behind in a  proverbial trail of dust. Several other tenants scream and point upwards to the building. The flames are rapidly reaching the upper levels covering your friends apartment windows. People, with no other way of escaping, are jumping from their windows. Some make it with broken legs or dislocated limbs, others land and never move again.

 

Right as you look back up Bilbo and Thorin still balancing on their window sill. Their apartment was everything to them. You remember the day they brought you to see their place, right before they moved in. The downtown apartment is best described as cozy and cluttered. It is still a tight fit for the two of them, but it was within their budget without being an overpriced broom closet. In the last year of them living there their home has seen its fair share of arguments, make ups, and booming parties filled with laughter and smashed plates. It is their first space together and, while it may have never be perfectly serene, it is now being threatened by the rapid growing flames below them. You catch what seems to be a chaste kiss between them before they jump from the fourth floor.

 

Everything feels like it slows down. You can practically see every frame as your best friends tumble to what is their gruesome disfigurements, at best. Every part of you is screaming to move forward, and you do, but not for long. In just a few steps, you completely crumple to the ground. Any motor function is gone. You can't even speak. All that comes out is a tight squeak and a heavy groan as you watch their bodies collide with the ground. The sound of their bones crunching mix with the roar from the flames. Bilbo crawls away from the blaze, lower half dragging against the pavement. You gag, vomit in the back of your throat, as you look at Bilbo's face. His once boyish and innocent face is blistered and ripped. Every muscle in his face is visible, even from so far away.

 

Bilbo reaches his hand out towards you. “Y/N, help me please! I can't feel my legs.”

 

Reflexively, you say, “Stay back! Just stay back!”

 

The hurt stabs Bilbo through his heart and Thorin, who has been watching his fiancée search for your help, can't take it. Determination numbs the excruciating pain surge through his body with every twitch in any direction as he tries to lunge at you. He wraps his massive, calloused hands around your neck, quickly causing any air in your lungs to leave you in frightened shock. Like a boa Thorin's hands create a vise grip around your windpipe that even a trained soldier or fighter would be incapable of breaking. His eyes burn with anger, matching the intensity of the flames roaring behind you. The edge of your vision begins to blur and you feel your face burning bright red. Your body instinctively tries to gasp for air, but only increasing the burning ache in your lungs from lack of oxygen. A bloodhungry smirk is the last thing you see as your vision goes dark.

 

Alarmed, you shot straight up in your cloud like bed. Your room is pristine. Well, littered with clothing, clean and dirty, and your nick knacks are scattered around, but no evidence of a fire is present. The sweat dribbles from your forehead down your temple sending a shiver through your body. Right as you begin to lower your heart rate you remember Bilbo and Thorin. Ignoring the cold hallway air on your exposed legs you race to the fourth floor, hoping that they are okay. You pound on the plain white door as you check the edge of the it for soot or scotch marks. Nothing. Only badly painted white borders that chip into the beige hall walls.

 

Bilbo opens the door, eyes wide in concern. “Y/N, what are you doing up so early?” Bilbo sees the way you shake and the thin line of tears flowing down your cheeks. “Oh, come here.”

 

Bilbo takes you in his small, warm arms. Thorin notices that after a few minutes Bilbo hasn't come back to finish his coffee that he always drinks when it's piping hot. Now it's tepid and bitter. Alarmed, Thorin walks to the front door where he last heard Bilbo go and is even more shocked to see your embrace. He rarely sees you cry, you never let anyone see and here you are, balling in his fiancée’s arms.

 

“Let me make you a cup of tea. Green, right, Y/N?” Thorin's walks over and places a loving hand on your head, rubbing your scalp with his thumb.

 

All you can do is nod your head and latch on tighter to Bilbo.

 

“Alright, come onto the couch.”

 

Thorin's shoves away the stack of bills that were strewn haphazardly on the couch. Bilbo guides your shaking form onto their grey couch, taking his favorite fluffy blanket off of the armrest and encases you.

 

“What happened, Y/N?” Bilbo rubs your arms to soothe your shaking. You can only imagine what he'd be like as a father. Probably as worried and adoring as he has always been.

 

“Well…”

 

So you tell them everything. Every gory detail. They sit quietly, too worried that if they interject to ask questions that it may be too much for you. When you finish the telling you the whole ordeal you couldn't be more pleased to hear what they had to say.

 

“Why don't you stay here tonight? The couch may not be much but I'm sure it's better than being alone in your apartment.”

 

“Really? You don't have to! I'll be fine-”

 

Bilbo interrupts you and says, “We insist.”

 

You cautiously look towards Thorin and see him slow nod and a tiny smile. Finally at ease you sink into the couch. You look around at the cluttered home filled with knickknacks and books. This house has always felt safe and you never understood why this place. But looking at the two of them you finally understand. It was never that their home was always filled to the brim with rowdy people and miscellaneous things, it was always them. Now you get it; it has always been Bilbo and Thorin because they remind you so much of the perfect family you always wished for. Now you have it and you don't think they plan on leaving you any time soon.

 

 


End file.
